Friday, January 8, 2010

Here comes the tutorial for the puffy pouch ;)As I promised, I am introducing two ways to make this pouch, one made with a 5" flex frame which may not be very accessible and the other made withvelcro which is fairly easily found at any craft stores.(The flex frame can be spotted at here,here, and here.)

I love this pouch either way.This pouch is like the fabric basket tute andthe patchwork drawstring tute combined into onewith a little twist, so yeah, it's quick and easy again!!I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you'll like it....!!!

As always, seam allowances are 1/4" unless otherwise noted.

First off, pick out linen (or medium to heavy fabric)and three different print cotton fabrics that contrasteach other for the external shell.

Let's start making the outer shell. Sew the 1.75" width fabrics like this to make..

Two patchwork panels like these.

Then press seams open.

To make a peek-a-boo, grab the cotton fabric like this at one edge.

Pin and sew very close to the edge to secure the fold.

Do that for each short edge of the cotton fabric.Here is how it looks like after you are done withthree edges on one side, and...

Here is how it looks like when all the edges are sewn up.Repeat the same process for the other panel.

Now let's make the top part of the pouch.Fold short edges twice, 0.25" and 0.25", of thetwo 2" width linen pieces.

Sew very close to the fold line like this.

Fold in half and press.If you are using a flex frame, jump tothe step with this little heart→. If you are using velcro, please bare with me and follow all the steps ;)

If the pouch is to be made with velcro, we want to make sure the top part of the pouchis firm and steady, so we add thick batting.Cut out batting into two 4 1/2" x 5/8" pieces,and place each piece in each linen piece, one long edge aligning the fold line.(Here, applying fabric glue to one side of the battingwill prevent it from moving when you sew, which is the next step.)Sew very close to the edges with wrong sides together...

like this so that one long edge is left raw.

Now, place a strip of velcro measuring 4" x 5/8" on each of the linen piece, aligning center,very close to the long folded edge.

Repeat it for the other piece of linen so thatyou have two top parts complement to each other.

Machine-baste the piece onto the main patchworkpanel, very close to the edges.

I totally forgot to take a picture of this critical step,but here we sew the two patchwork panels with right sides together, all the edges except the topedge where the casing is attached.And this is optional, but if you box corner, your pouch will turn out quite puffy with roundish corners.(I sewed in the way that from the pointy end tothe needle was about 3/4".) Trim excess at the corners.

Just like you sewed the outer bag, you are nowmaking lining by sewing the fabric with right sides together; this time, make sure to leave an opening at the bottom.

If you boxed the corners, you may want to repeat the same process for the lining too.

Then trim excess.

Turn the lining right side out and place itinside the outer bag so that right sides are facing each other. (Sorry for the differentfabric for the lining - I was taking photos while making two pouches with differentfabrics.. I hope I'm not confusing you here..!)

Now sew all the way around the top edge.Here, the lining and the exterior bag aresewn right sides together, and the casing issandwiched in-between so that when you sew,you don't see the casing just like the picture above.This is exactly like the step lining and outer bagwere sewn for the fabric basket and the patchwork bag ;)

Turn the pouch right side out through lining opening, and hand-stitch opening closed.If you made it with velcro, you are done! Yay!If you didn't, then now insert the 5" length flex frame through casing.

Hooray! Your pouch is finished!!The left one is made with velcro and the rightone is made with a flex frame. Both of themturned out really cute and practical ;)

I really hope this tute was easy to follow!I can't wait to see your pouches in this flickr pool!! As always,I would LOVE it if you could let me know whatyou think of this tutorial by leaving comments below.

Also as usual, this free tutorialis only for personal use please.

Thanks for taking your time to stop by!

*FAQs*

Where did you get the cute mini iron?I got it for my Christmas gift last year!(How lucky am I?!) I think I've seen thesame iron at Joann but I also found it availableonline here.

Where did you get the linen?I got this ramie linen from this Japaneseonline shop, but sadly, they don't seem to shipinternationally :( I think any medium weightlinen would be great for this project though!

Can linen be replaced by denim?What a nice idea! I'm sure denim wouldmake a great pouch! I would try it withlight to medium weight denim ;)

Can the flex frame be removed for washing?Hmmm.. I don't think so unfortunately.A flex frame is constructed in the way thatonce it's put into use, it won't be removed,so I don't think removing it is very practical :(

Can I use a flex frame of a different size?Sure you can! I would not go forone smaller than 4" though, becauseit might be a little too small projectto work with. I would also make sureto adjust the measurements offabric pieces to fit nicely.

Can I use metal measuring tape insteadof a flex frame?What an innovative idea! I've never tried it yet,but someone made this pouch using metal tape andtold me that it worked really nicely! Let meshare with you what she said;"You need to round the corners after cuttingto length, and I put masking tape over these endsas a precaution. When you insert the ruler in thecasing, the numbers face the outside inside of the bag."(Thank you for letting me know that numbers need to face inside of the bag to let the pouch open!)

Wouldn't it be better if the lining also had peek-a-boo parts so thatthe pouch is really expandable?I bet it would be just fine.I made the lining this way because it'smuch simple and quick to make, and I alsothought the pouch might turn out a little bulkyif I made it that way. But I bet it wouldwork just fine if fabrics you areusing are light-weight cotton ;)

How do you add handles to it?If I were to add handles to the pouch, I woulduse a type of flex frame that comes with a little loopsat the ends just like this one. Those loops arefor you to play with in case you want to add handles.I've been looking for an online shop that carriesthis type of flex frame without much luck.If anyone finds it somewhere, please let me knowso that I can put the link to the shop here.

Can you make with a zipper?I'm sure using a zipper instead of flex frame/velcrowill make a really nice puffy pouch too. I wouldprobably still have the top part of the bag ratherthan attaching zipper directly to the main bag.I would also enlarge the pattern a little justso that it'd be easy to sew ;)

Thanks so much for this tutorial! I will definitely be making some of these for gifts, as I have done with the patchwork bags. Where do you buy your linen? And, have you tried to make these with denim or is it too heavy? Thanks!

I absolutely love these adorable little pouches and can't wait to make some! Two questions: Where did you get that iron, I'm so getting one! And, if I use the flex frame, can it be removed for washing the pouch? I never make anything that can't be thrown in the wash!

Thank you so much, everyone! I am so glad that you all like the tutorial! To answer the questions you guys asked in the comments, I updated this post with a list of FAQs ;) Thanks again for your loveliest comments!!

I loved this tutorial so much, that i already made mine, but i would like to sugest something, that i'm going to try to make for the next pouch, i think the lining should be the same size as the front panels after they are sewed, so that you can use more space inside and the puffy sides will open.Once more thank you for the tutorial.Cristina

Phantastic!!!!! Thank you so much. The pouch is just perfect and your tutorial is too! I was one of your readers who asked you to show us how to make them in a tutorial, so thank you very much for sharing. Greetings from Germany

to be honest i want to do this right now..I can´t wait... lovely and useful to use scraps of nice fabrics that refuse to thwow away. I work better reading diagrams, but your tutorial it is fine...thank you very much for sharing this :)

Thank you for posting such a wonderful tutorial. All the photos and very detailed descriptions help so much. I just finished making a pouch and it came out so well- because of you! I made mine a little larger than yours, it could be used as a clutch purse for a night out. I'll try to post photos in flickr. Can't wait for your next tutorial, they are all so great.

you are so awesome! thanks so much for this tutorial. last christmas (2008)--i made tons of your little baskets as xmas presents (sorry--i didn't take good pictures)--this little purse might be this year's xmas present! thank you again (and again and again) for taking the time to make these clear and thoughtful tutorials for us!

I am sure you hear this all the time, but you have great sense when it comes to coordinating fabrics. I always have a tough time choosing fabrics, and I love coming to your blog for inspiration. Thanks!

Thank you for the great tutorial!I´d like to show you my first Puffy Pouch. I used denim and patchwork-fabrics:http://19nullsieben.blogspot.com/2010/01/meine-erste-puffy-pouch.htmlSorry, it´s in german, but I hope you like it! ;)

Thank you! I made one, but had major trouble getting the edges of the casing to come out right- they seem to want to fold inward, and I'm not sure I can visualize how to fix it. Going to rip and try again!

I think where I got confused was not knowing how to/whether to press the seam after attaching the casing, and didn't know quite what you meant by "making sure the casing is sewn together (hidden inside)"? Maybe it's clarified in your other tutorials.

Ah! Figured out my trouble. Still not sure what the quoted part means, but after ripping and reexamining my seams versus yours, I figured out that my casing was too long (had folded once at each end instead of twice). Will try again tomorrow!

Thank everyone! If you make pouches, I would love for you to add your picture to this flickr group!

JulieFrick-I'm very sorry you got confused with the way I explained the step. What I meant was there was to sandwich the top part with the exterior bag and lining so that when you are sewing, it's like the top part hiding since you can't see it at all! Oh wait! hey! you just added your picture in the flickr pool! Oh my goodness you did an AMAZING job making the pouch!! I am so glad to see your pouch!! Sorry I couldn't respond sooner to answer your questions but it looks like you've figured it out on your own.. I'm now going to change the wording a little to clarify what I mean in the tute. Thanks!!

wow...great tute...i just made one and it took mere minutes! Great photos and description of each step. I used a natural colored linen blend interspersed with brown dupioni silk....what a cute bag....thank you so much for sharing your genius!

I am a beginner sewer but thanks to your great way of explaning things and the pictures I can't wait to get started. I am so looking forward to making a few of these. They would be great gifts. Put some make-up and jewellery or even summer pj's in there and I would love to get something like that as a gift. Thanks so much keep up the great work. If you get any other easy things to sew don't hesitate to email me. Thanks again Linda Hill. (hercybaby@yahoo.com)

Hi, In Your Q&A Section This Questions was asked:Can I use metal measuring tape insteadof a flex frame?Part of The Reply Was:When you insert the ruler in the casing, the numbers face the outside of the bag.

That is incorrect. The Numbers Must Be Facing the Inside of the bag else it won't click open and closed. Thought you might want to fix it. (-:Donna

i'm going to attempt to make one for my sister, but adjust the sizing to be a bit bigger. hope you don't mind if i link to you on my blog and borrow your end result picture. thanks so much for your marvelous tutorials!

Hello, I have a blog that aims to identify all the tutorials that can be found on blogs. I put a link to your blog (and not the explanation) but I let you put your pictures? thank you and congratulations for your blog marjorie http://tutoriels-loisirs-creatifs.over-blog.com

Thank you for this tutorial! I made this pouch a few weeks ago and the only thing I did differently was that I made the lining the same way as the outside so it's fully expandable! Thanks again for this! I plan on making a few more so I can use them instead of lugging around a huge purse when I go out.

After reading the comments I myself just had to add my three cents (inflation) (-; It seems many people have a difference about which way to put the metal tape measure for closure in a bag. So I bought two different patterns and lo and behold the two patters gave different directions. One put the numbers facing the inside, one put the numbers facing outside. I decided the only way to find out is to make them both ways. The Answer is...........It may depend on the size of the bag but I double up on the tape when making a larger bag. There may be more difference but the main one I could tell was one way makes noise and one way does not. I have make 6 different sizes testing. Both ways are right! Donna Rae

I love the style of this but would like it larger. I can't find the dimensions of the purse when finished. If I cut the pieces of fabric twice as large and put regular handles on it, do you think that would work?

You could just say I'm an old bag lady cause i love making the different bags, but this is the cutest one I've seen anywhere and I am going to make one at least one before our vacation to Boston the end of the month. thank you for sharing and also for the amazing detailed tuts. Mollye

Tori-Every piece included in this tutorial has 1/4" seam allowances. If you have that in mind, it might be easy to come up with the measurements for your pencil pouch. Also, since it is a really narrow (3") pouch, I would avoid making pleats to make it simple. Hope this helps :)

I used your tutorial to add a peek-a-boo pleat to a potholder.http://www.flickr.com/photos/58702936@N03/5428808289/Thank-you I just started sewing in jan2011 and am self taught. Your tutorial was very easy to understand.

HI, I think that is a great tutorial , thanks for sharing, really want to make it one, but unfortunatelly i'm still not able to use sewing machine to sew it :(. But i'm still happy can find your lovely blog, so many pretty project here. And start now i 'll be your follower :)

Humairah-I haven't had anyone having the problem before. The lining's top width and the outer bag's top width should be about the same length when you sew them together. It should be about 5" x 5" when it's finished. I hope you will be able to finish yours fine! Let me know if there is anything else I can help you with!

Thanks! I don't know where I went wrong :/ but i took a bigger lining the second time. One question though, mine doesn't puff up as much... why do you think that is? I used a heavier fabric for the top strips....

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I just found your website. I love this puffy pouch. My husband passed away almost 2 years ago and he had several pocket handkerchiefs and I was looking for something to make out of them. This looks perfect, however I am a novice sewer. I will have to practice before using his scarves. Love your site.

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